Topless tobogganing proves surprisingly popular

It’s a controversial sport that’s been threatened with bans in the past – but a topless tobogganing tournament in Germany went ahead and, you’ll be astonished to learn, attracted thousands of spectators.

Competitors in the topless sledging race: we’re guessing they’re fairly cold at this point

While the stars of the Winter Olympics busy themselves competing in so-called ‘proper sports’ (and figure skating), 30 male and female competitors, clad only in underwear, bounced their way down a 100 metre track on sledges to the approval of huge crowds.More than 14,000 spectators turned out to watch the rude, chilly event in Braunlage, Germany. Car parks were overflowing ahead of the popular event, a spokesman said.

26-year-old Christian Schmidt won the event, while one 70-year-old man got the biggest round of applause for stripping down to his long johns.’It was very cold, and because of that some of those girls would definitely had a bit of an advantage in a photo finish,’ said one gutter-minded fan.The event came after officials in another German town tried to put a stop to Germany’s first ever topless tobogganing championships, after the mayor said he was ‘offended’ by the spectacle.In that event, in Oberwiesenthal near the border with the Czech Republic, ladies competed for cash prizes of around 300 pounds, while being required only to wear a hard helmet and footwear.Liberal party mayor Mirko Ernst had threatened a ban. ‘The good name of Oberwiesenthal is at stake,’ he said.